Nearly 4.5 million passengers travelled between Malta and Gozo in 2021, the National Statistics Office said.
The number of passengers went up by 677,711, or 18% when compared to 2020, amounting to a total of 4,451,692 passengers.
This includes both the Gozo Channel ferry service and the fast ferry service.
During 2021, the number of trips went up by 9,401 or 32.4%, when compared to 2020. The total number of trips for 2021 amounted to 38,453. Vehicle movements between the islands increased by 175,491 or 11.3%, over the previous year, amounting to a total of 1,727,629.
Q4 2021
During the fourth quarter of 2021, sea transport between Malta and Gozo registered increases in trips, passengers and vehicles when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2020, the National Statistics Office said.
Between October and December 2021, a total of 11,215 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 1,185,502 passengers. October was the busiest month recording a total of 3,832 trips or 34.2% of total trips for the quarter.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa
A total of 1,066,788 passengers travelled between Mġarr and Ċirkewwa during the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of 21.8% when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2020. The highest number of passengers was recorded in October – 392,221 or 36.8% of the total for the quarter.
When compared to the same quarter previous year, the number of vehicles increased by 10%, totalling 429,806. The number of trips during the fourth quarter amounted to 8,479, an increase of 4.8% over the same period in 2020. December registered the highest number of trips – 2,860 or 33.7% of total trips for the quarter. During January-December 2021, both passenger and vehicle traffic originating from Ċirkewwa was busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. On the other hand, from the Mġarr terminal, passenger and vehicle traffic was highest on Sundays and Mondays.
Sea transport between Mġarr and Valletta
During the fourth quarter of 2021, a total of 2,736 trips were carried out, carrying a total of 118,714 passengers. November registered the highest number of trips – 1,025 or 37.5% of total trips for the quarter, whereas the highest number of passengers travelling between Mġarr and Valletta was recorded in October – 46,853 or 39.5% for the quarter.